Road trips in LA: How to follow in the footsteps of Clarkson, Hammond and May

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In some senses, America’s second biggest city is the enemy of the car. Conjure up an image of Los Angeles in your mind, and one of the pictures which leaps to mental focus is the “freeway” during rush hour, vehicles backed up on flyovers, exhaust fumes billowing. In a metropolis where everyone has a car, nobody can actually drive anywhere.

That’s the theory. And also, often, the reality. LA is the guardian of gridlock, the poster boy of the traffic jam, the big cheese of the bulging bottleneck. But that doesn’t matter. Because for every mile you spend idling in neutral, there are another five where you can be roaring down the open road, ocean on one side, mountains on the other. Los Angeles is arguably the best start-point for a US road trip as, whichever way you depart – north, south, east (though not west, obviously. That’s the Pacific) – travel adventures await.

But before you go, stay and see some of the city. Even if it takes a while to get around.

Getting there

Los Angeles International (LAX) is one of the world’s busiest airports. In terms of flights from the UK, British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com), Virgin Atlantic (0344 874 7747; virgin-atlantic.com) and American Airlines (0845 600 3300; aa.com) all operate from London Heathrow, while up-and-coming budget carrier Norwegian (0330 828 0854; norwegian.com) competes with all three via its regular connection from London Gatwick.

Where to stay

The boat. Are you pushing it out? All the way into the water? Excellent. In that case, head for Shutters On The Beach. It’s in Santa Monica. Which, yes, technically, is a different city to Los Angeles – but it’s all part of the same conurbation, and Shutters is a very lovely property. It comes with a price tag to match (from about £325 per night), but you may see celebrities at play (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been known to pop in – though not so much together of late). And, as the name says, the ocean is right there.

Hobnob with the occasional celebrity at this seaside American beach house in Santa Monica. Breezy, beach-chic rooms and suites, two highly regarded restaurants and a convivial cocktail lounge are all just steps from the sand. The hotel's concierge service and amenities are all top notch.

What to do

Perhaps an afternoon at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA; moca.org) – which has three separate locations in the city and boasts a collection which comprises works by the likes of Mark Rothko, Roy Lichtenstein and Jackson Pollock? No? Something which feels a little more “start of a road trip”. Right you are. Well, you’ll need to cruise down Sunset Boulevard – particularly the Sunset Strip section where it forges through West Hollywood. Find a parking space – or a valet – and drop in to either the Rainbow Bar and Grill (rainbowbarandgrill.com) or the Whisky A Go Go (whiskyagogo.com) – famed drinking dens and up-all-night hostelries for Los Angeles-based rock rabble-rousers Guns N’ Roses and The Doors respectively. Just a fruit juice for you, however. You’re driving.

A great drive

A couple of obvious choices here. Highway One – or California State Route 1, to use its slightly less glamorous official name – is the meandering ribbon of a road which runs 655 miles from Orange County, south of Los Angeles, up into the north of the state in Mendocino County. That’s a long way. But the section between LA and San Francisco (458 miles) is a road-trip classic for a reason – the Pacific crashing on the rocks as you slice through the likes of Malibu, Santa Barbara and Big Sur. Alternatively, you can go north-east, taking I-15 through the Mojave Desert – in search of the lustre of Las Vegas.

Highway One is prime road trip territoryCredit:
Alamy

Car of choice

In an ideal world, you’d take a Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, and coast along the coast road – the top down and the wind in your hair. Turns out it isn’t an ideal world, though.

Soundtrack

Well, if you are sticking with the aforementioned LA scenesters, you will want LA Woman by The Doors (which features the incomparable Riders On The Storm), and Appetite For Destruction by Guns N’ Roses (which is the thrilling distillation of their Sunset Strip punk-metal, and much better than the pompous rock balladry Axl Rose cooked up on the subsequent Use Your Illusion albums). But then, you could also go for LA luminaries NWA and their Straight Outta Compton hip-hop masterpiece (hint – there are a few naughty words), and Tupac Shakur’s Golden State rap anthem California Love.

Local laws

Remember that you can turn right at a red light in California, assuming the road is clear, or unless you are explicitly advised that you cannot. And that traffic officers in the state are always happy to penalise drivers who fail to come to a complete halt at Stop signs. Performing a “California Roll” – a half-measure semi-pause – may well earn you a fine.

What to take home

An elbow suntan from resting your arm louchely on the window of your hire car, some of it out in the daylight. If you’re driving north from LA on Highway One, it’ll be your left.